Media Release

Public Invited to Bel-Corridor Open House/Workshop

Department: Transportation (Barbara Ramey, ABC)

Contact: Community Relations Manager 425-452-4158

Release Date: 11/3/2005

Members of the public are invited to learn about the City of Bellevue’s Bel-Red Corridor Project and participate in a workshop to help shape the future of the area. The event will be on Weds., Nov. 9 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m at Stevenson Elementary School, 14220 NE 8th St., Bellevue.

The Bel-Red Corridor Project will establish an ambitious but realistic long-term (through 2030) vision for the future of the Bel-Red corridor area. The area stretches from I-405 to the eastern city limits (see map below). The open house is the first of many public involvement efforts to define a future direction for land use (type and intensity of development), transportation, and other community facilities, such as parks, trails, etc.

There are several reasons that this project is being initiated now.First, this area was planned decades ago to accommodate light industrial and warehouse/distribution uses, such as the Safeway distribution center.Recently, some businesses, including Safeway, have moved out of the area.Change has occurred in a piecemeal fashion with no overall direction.

Second, Bel-Red is one of several major employment areas in the city (along with downtown and Eastgate), but it has not prospered to the same extent as these other areas. In fact, employment has declined recently.Given these factors, the city needs to consider what this area’s role should be in the city’s overall economic development and growth management strategy.

In addition, Sound Transit is beginning their Phase 2 planning effort for the next round of High Capacity Transit (HCT) investments.They have identified a conceptual HCT corridor from downtown Bellevue to Overlake and downtown Redmond.The city is taking the initiative to work with the community and Sound Transit to identify how HCT should serve this area.

The open house will also be part of the scoping process for the project Environmental Impact Statement (EIS).Comments on the scope of the EIS can be submitted until December 23.The full scoping notice is on the project website and was published in the city's Weekly Permit Bulletin on October 20. As encouraged by both SEPA and the Growth Management Act, the city intends to combine the SEPA process with other public meetings and events related to the project.